Map to Health
Suzie Willcox with her kiosk that helps shoppers find diet-specific foods. STEPHEN SCHLANGE PHOTO
Diagnosed with diabetes, Suzie Willcox designed a way to put healthy meal planning directly into the grocery store BY LISA WAANANEN JONES
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uzie Willcox expected the doctor to say something was wrong with her heart. She’d been having dizzy spells, and both her parents had died of massive coronaries. So the true diagnosis — diabetes — came as a surprise. Another surprise came when Willcox — always a good cook and conscientious about nutrition — took a
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diabetes education class and realized how difficult it can be for newly diagnosed people who are learning about healthy meal planning for the first time. “I was pretty shocked at people not knowing the difference between a carbohydrate and a protein,” Willcox says. “I just started thinking about that: ‘Gosh, this is really hard for people — and it’s hard for me. I wonder
how I can make this easier?’” She’s recalling the story this summer at the Rosauers grocery store on 29th Avenue, seven years after she was diagnosed. Nearby is the answer she’s been puzzling over and planning all that time: a cheerful, bright-green kiosk that greets shoppers as they head toward the produce section. This is Suzie’s MAPS — Meals Already Planned System — one of three kiosks installed in local Rosauers stores by the end of June for beta testing. The touch screen guides users through the options: Select the number of people you’re cooking for, choose one of several featured recipes, and then take the printed recipe and shopping list to finish the meal. What differentiates Suzie’s MAPS from the abundance of recipes on the Internet is the careful thought she puts into it — the recipes change based on the weekly specials, and ingredients are organized by the aisle where they can be found in that particular store. A healthy